Seville, Spain, Jun 19, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The Archbishop of Sevilla, Cardinal Carlos Amigo Vallejo, is calling for “respect and veneration” for religious symbols in response to a decision by an Andalusia school to remove crucifixes from the classrooms after receiving complaints from a small group of parents.

The cardinal said Catholics deserve much more respect and that “religious signs are never offensive for anybody. On the contrary, we all have to treat them with veneration and respect.” “We must avoid the imposition of the tyranny of the minority,” he warned. “That is not true democracy.”

Cardinal Amigo Vallejo underscored that it is most important that “parents are not limited in their right to choose the best way to educate their children and to give them integral education.” “The problem is not ‘Religion, yes or no, here or there’,” he continued, “but rather, respect for the fundamental rights of the majority of parents, who want a Catholic education and want to be able to educate their children in freedom and in accord with their convictions.”